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The Digital Harbor Park Bird List
Key-Legend
How to Read the Legend and Understand the Codes

This "Harbor Park Digital Bird List" is not to be
confused with the definitive, hard copy which is currently
being published (June, 2005).

This list is more about the degree of documentation
of species at the park. The hard copy checklist
will be more about status and occurrence.

Note: If you wish to download or print the Key-Legend page to make
reviewing the bird list on your screen easier, please feel free to do so.
You will see a link available for a printable version of the key-legend.

This is an effort to make an accessible reference of bird
species known or believed to have naturally occurred in the
park, with some indication of status and/or degree of
documentation.

The list includes the Wilmington Drain, the waterway
that feeds the park/lake and is biologically intrinsically
intertwined with the park (adds 2 sps.). With the parks
241 acres, thus approx. 250 acres total area. Well over
300 species are known from this site.

KMHRP is between the 110-Harbor Fwy. and Vermont, and
Pacific Coast Hwy. and Anaheim St., in southern Los Angeles
- City and County - in the communities of Wilmington
and Harbor City.

About the records and references used ...
The overwhelming majority (90%+) of the birds cited here
are from previously published reports. These include the
historical literature such as Grinnell & Miller’s 1944
Distribution of the Birds of Calif., and Dawson & Willett’s
earlier works. Most modern records have been in one of four
places. First, R. Bradley’s Avifauna of Palos Verdes area
treatise (in Western Birds, Vol.11, #1, 1980); second,
LA Audubon’s bird columns in their "Western Tanager"
newsletter; third, PV Audubon’s Hummin’ newsletter bird
columns; and lastly, the journal variously known as
Audubon Field Notes, American Birds, then Field Notes
(these 3 published by Nat. Audubon Soc.), and currently,
No.Am. Birds, published by the Am. Birding Assoc.,
Loveland, CO.

Some species are included that are known only from
sight records. The codes will tell you which ones,
and to what degree the rarities have been seen and-or
documented. Most single observer sight records of
'statewide rarities' however, are relegated to the
hypotheticals after the main list.

Historical references often use names other than those
popularly known today, such as Bixby Slough, Machado
Lake, "the N-word" Slough, Harbor Lk. or Pk., and others.
Locale has also been cited as Wilmington, San Pedro,
Harbor City, and Los Angeles.

BR - Breeds regularly - nests at park
BI - Breeds irregularly - has nested in last decade
FB - Formerly bred * without #6 = still occurs
NN - Nests nearby, feeding here while doing so
TE - Is or has been on State or Federal Threatened
or Endangered species list
SC - State listed species of special concern
SS - multiple subspecies are known from site visual
or audio clues might be detected

lower case: primary occurrence at park

r - resident - lives at park, always there
as - may occur at any season - records throughout year
s - summers at park, generally May to September
m - migrant - occurs chiefly as regular migrant,
spring and fall, annually
sm - primarily spring migrant - mostly April and May
fm - primarily fall migrant - September to November
w - winters at park or records in winter -
mostly October to March
v - vagrant - not annual - out of normal range
or habitat (e.g. marine sps.)
mv - migratory vagrant - vagrant during migration
(some noted fv or sv)
wv - vagrant during winter season

Notes:
1) As many codes as apply may be used,
2) Indented names are considered subspecies of
the species above it by current taxonomy.
3) All non-native species are at end of list.
4) Many species have multiple subspecies present,
but when field ID is unlikely, they are not mentioned

Interpreting the legend codes ...
Once you learn the codes it will be easy for you to ascertain
or understand at a glance the status of most species listed.
First, as a general rule, most regularly occurring species
will have lower case letter codes, and rarely occurring species
will have number codes. To help you get started, here follow
some examples with interpetation ...

Little Blue Heron (fv, 1, 3, 4) is a fall vagrant
with CBRC accepted sight record, and there are both
single and multiple observer sightings that were not
submitted.

Fulvous Whistling-Duck (6, 8, FB) is extirpated with no
record in last 15 years, and it formerly bred at site.

Tundra Swan (6, 7) used to be present, but no longers
occurs; has not been seen since "the old days" at site.

Clapper and Black Rails (6, 7, FB, TE) both are extirpated
with no recent records, formerly bred, and are on
State or Federal Threatened or Endangered lists.
The same goes for Snowy Plover and Yellow-billed Cuckoo.

Brown-crested Flycatcher (1, 4, 8) has CBRC accepted
multi. obs. sighting, unsubmitted single obs. sighting,
and is unrecorded in last 15 years.

N.Rough-winged and Barn Swallows are (s, m, BR, NN)
present in summer and migration, breed regularly,
and many nest nearby using park while doing so.

Black-throated Green Warbler has (1, 4, 5, 8,) multi. obs.
accepted sight record, unsubmitted single obs. sightings,
and is photographed in park, but not in last 15 years.

Anomalous records are not included in the primary status.
For example a Townsend’s Warbler summered (!) at the park
a few years ago. No "s" code should alert an observer if
they find one, to document the occurrence, and/or get others
to see it. Likewise, Warbling Vireo has both summered and
wintered once in last decade. No mention of presence at
these seasons should again alert observer of the need for
documentation or corroboration.

Vagrants differ from migrants in that they are not annual
in occurrence, though some may be nearly so. A "v" without
seasonal designation indicates it has occurred at more than
one season and when preceded by an "f" or "s" means
occurrence mostly in fall or spring.

Keep in mind too that most resident or any season species
have populations in several roles at the site. For instance,
Yellow Warbler nests, winters, and is a migrant at the site.
(With probably 4 subspecies not likely to be field ID'd
involved)

Though they may be found year-round there, they are not the
same individual birds year-round. Some resident species are
innundated in winter by migrant congeners from more northerly
parts of their ranges, like Coots.

I welcome any information on records or reports not included,
or any other suggestions for changes, additions, or corrections.

Printable Bird List Key-Legend

Home
What is KMHRP?
Where is KMHRP?
Historical Photos
Park Habitats
Bird Photos, List, Where to
Butterflies
Dragonflies
Essays About the Park
Park Abuse
Wilmington Drain
Helping Harbor Park